Category Archive

These tasty appetizers require a little bit of a time commitment, but the result is worth it. I like to boil and peel the eggs ahead of time, and even sometimes make the filling early but not fill the eggs until just before serving. Let me know what other varieties you have made or have in mind — I’d love to try them!

Cut the eggs in half. Combine the egg yolks and mayonnaise (I like using an immersion blender) until it is a smooth consistency. Choose from one of these flavors, or create your own!

Traditional

1 Tbs. dijon mustard

1 tsp. lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 tsp. paprika, plus some for garnish

18 pieces cooked bacon

Combine the mustard, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and 1/4 tsp paprika with the mayo-yolk mixture. Put the filling into a plastic sandwich bag. Cut off a corner of the bag and pipe the filling into each egg white half. Garnish with a piece of cooked bacon and a small dash of paprika.

Smoked salmon

2 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. dried dill, plus some for garnish

Salt and pepper to taste

18 slices smoked salmon

18 capers

Combine the lemon juice, dill, salt, and pepper with the mayo-yolk mixture. Put the filling into a plastic sandwich bag. Cut off a corner of the bag and pipe the filling into each egg white half. Garnish with a slice of the smoked salmon, a caper, and a small dash of dill.

Wasabi-Sriracha

1 – 2 tsp. wasabi paste, plus some for garnish

1/2 – 1 Tbs. Sriracha, plus some for garnish

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine the wasabi paste, Sriracha, salt, and pepper with the mayo-yolk mixture. Taste and add more of the wasabi and Sriracha if you want a stronger flavor. Put the filling into a plastic sandwich bag. Cut off a corner of the bag and pipe the filling into each egg white half. Garnish with a dot each of wasabi paste and Sriracha.

Avocado

1/2 small avocado

1 Tbs. lime juice

2 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro

Salt and pepper to taste

18 slices jalapeño or serrano pepper

18 sprigs fresh cilantro

Combine the avocado, lime juice, chopped fresh cilantro, salt, and pepper with the mayo-yolk mixture. Put the filling into a plastic sandwich bag. Cut off a corner of the bag and pipe the filling into each egg white half. Garnish with a slice of pepper and a sprig of cilantro.

NOTE: We’ve found the best method for boiling eggs is to bring a large pot of water to boil, then add room-temperature eggs. Bring back to a boil for one minute, then turn off and cover for another 12 minutes. Drain the eggs, immediately put them into an ice bath until cold. They should peel easily and have fully-cooked but not overdone yolks.

Mix the seasonings together in a small bowl, then add to the ground pork. Incorporate it with your hands. Separate the meat into 10 equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball, then flatten. Wrap the pork around a hard-boiled egg, rolling and smoothing the meat together. If it seems sticky, get your hands a little wet.

If you’d like a crust around the eggs, roll each one in the crumbs of the pork rinds or potato chips or almond meal. Then dip it in the beaten egg, then roll it again in the crumbs. We couldn’t find paleo-friendly pork rinds, so we used olive-oil potato chips on some and almond meal on others.

Place each meat-wrapped egg on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake the eggs for 25 minutes, then increase the temperature to 400 for another 5 to 10 minutes. If you still need to crisp up the crust, place the eggs under the broiler. Watch them closely and turn them often to brown the entire outside.

Vacuum-seal the cheese in one bag, the powdered eggs in another. Put the onions, peppers and meat in a third.

Cut an opening in the egg and meat bags. Add 1 cup water to the meat and veggie bag; let sit until the meat softens, about 10 minutes. There should be some extra water, it will cook off. Add 9 Tbs. of water (a little over 1/2 cup) to the eggs; mash gently to mix. Heat your skillet or pan and add the veggie-meat mixture, cook until the water evaporates and the veggies start to brown. Add the eggs and cook thoroughly, stirring constantly. Turn off heat and cut in hunks of cheese.

You’d never guess there’s no grain in this fluffy dish. The base of this recipe — eggs, milk, butter — can be used in many ways. Here are a few variations. The top recipe has the full list of ingredients and methods, the other variations just tell you the modifications you need to make. Use your imagination, and let me know what great combination you create!

Chicken-curry clafouti

The curry-chicken combination is fabulous, but this recipe is flexible and can be made with something sweet, too.

Apple-cinnamon clafouti

Apples and cinnamon turn the clafouti into something close to apple bread.

Use the melted butter (plain, not herbed), coconut milk or cream, and eggs as your base.

In a small saucepan, slowly cook down 1 large apple (peeled, sliced and diced) with 1 Tbs. butter and 1 Tbs. cinnamon until the apples are soft. Lightly mash the cooked apples with a fork, leaving some pieces whole. Let it cool for a few minutes.

Whisk the eggs, milk and butter with two Tbs. of cinnamon until frothy. Pour into your buttered pie pan. Drop the cooked apple by the spoonful into the plate, and cook for 45 minutes.

Ham and cheese clafouti

Ham, cheddar, chives and garlic.

Use the melted butter (plain or herbed), coconut milk or cream, and eggs as your base, whisking until frothy.

Finely dice a 1-lb. ham steak. Shred about 8 oz. of cheddar cheese. Chop up to 1/4 cup of chives. Add the ham, most of the cheese and the chives to the whisked egg mixture, along with 1 Tbs. garlic powder. Pour it into your buttered pie dish, top with the remaining cheese and cook for 45 minutes or until the top begins to brown.

These crepes can be used in place of large, flat noodles in many recipes, such as primalcotti or lasagna, or in place of tortillas in enchiladas.

Thin, delicate crepes made of egg and milk.

6 jumbo eggs

1/3 cup heavy cream or whole milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil or butter, for the frying pan

Whisk the eggs, milk/cream, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Heat an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Brush the skillet with some butter or olive oil. Working quickly, pour 1/4 cup of the egg mixture into the pan, swirling to coat the bottom of the pan evenly. Cover and cook until the egg crepe is just set, about 1 minute. Invert the skillet over a plate, and allow the egg crepe to drop onto the plate. Repeat to make 8-10 crepes total, brushing the skillet with melted butter as needed and stacking crepes on the plate.

Heat a large frying pan on medium-high heat. Add the bacon, cook for 2-3 minutes or until some of the fat renders off. Toss the strips around a bit. Get the bacon a few more minutes, until just cooked but still soft. Remove from the pan, cover with foil.

Crack the two eggs into the hot bacon grease and turn the heat off but keep the pan on the hot burner. If you have a gas stove, turn the flame to its lowest setting. Spoon the hot grease over the eggs to cook the tops. Once the yolks cloud over, move the eggs to your plate with the bacon and enjoy.